KATHMANDU, Jan 24: Minister for Labor and Transport Management Lekha Raj Bhatta said on Saturday that government is taking initiatives for job security of Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia.
Malaysia has recently stopped hiring foreign migrant workers in the country citing the impact of the international financial crisis.
"We have started dialogues with the Malaysian government through different channels so as to ensure that the Nepali migrant workers could continue working in Malaysia," Bhatta said in an interaction at Reporters Club Nepal. “Our priority is to give continuity to their works over there.”
Malaysian govt introduces social security scheme for undocument...
He also added that if the Nepalese workers are flown back, initiatives will be taken to send them to another country as part of an alternative arrangement.
"The government has explored a number of alternatives to fight out the negative impact of global recession on Nepalese working community," he further said, adding that "Japan could be one of the best alternatives given the possibility of higher remittance."
Meanwhile Director General of Labor Department Mohan Krishna Sapkota said Nepal will lose Rs 2.5 billion remittence each month from Malaysia.
Only this week, a Malaysian firm called Evergreen Heavy Industrial Corporation laid off 73 Nepali workers citing financial problem.
Malaysia is currently employing more than two million migrant workers including 400,000 Nepalis. More than 50,500 Nepalis had left for Malaysia during the fiscal year 2007/08 mostly for blue collar jobs.
